Olive-backed Pipit, Exmouth

An Olive-backed Pipit was found in an Exmouth Park on December 12th but with work, weather, rail strikes and Christmas socialising I wasn't able to go and look for it until December 20th! Fortunately it had decided to stick around and so off I headed on the train to Exmouth on Tuesday December 20th feeling a little trepidatious as Exmouth is Dip Central for me with Serin, American Wigeon, Hoopoe and the infamous Northern Mockingbird all not seen here in the last few years.

The weather had changed, gone was the Arctic blast and it was calm and mild with blue skies following a couple of days of wind and heavy rain and the train journey was uneventful and on time with swollen rivers and flooded fields seen along the way. 

A few interesting birds were seen from the train on the journey to Exmouth with Avocets seen on both the Rivers Teign and Exe while on the Exe Red-breasted Mergansers, Brent Geese, Greenshank, Wigeon and a Kingfisher were also seen but the best sighting was of a Spoonbill feeding off Starcross train station as I whizzed past. 

Arriving in Phear Park in Exmouth and there were no birders present and so I wandered around in a search of the Pipit. Eventually I found a few birders searching for the Pipit too and it had already been seen that morning so I knew that it was at least still present. 

It was soon refound busily feeding away in the leaf litter under a tree, being barely discernible amongst the grass and dead leaves as it crept around. A very smart and distinctive looking bird that showed down to a few metres and was often seen wagging its tail as it picked insects off the blades of grass.

Olive-backed Pipit

Olive-backed Pipit

Olive-backed Pipit 

Olive-backed Pipit 

I watched it for a while before it flew off up into the tree tops and so I decided to head to Dawlish Warren for a quick look around before heading back to Plymouth. 

The train journey to Dawlish Warren was uneventful and on arriving I headed straight to the sea wall and found an immature male Eider in the estuary mouth, distant views but very distinctive when it flapped its wings. Also present were 6 Great Northern Divers and 16 Great Crested Grebes with a single adult Gannet seen flying south offshore.

I stayed at Dawlish Warren for just an hour before heading home but it had been an enjoyable day out with a new bird species for me, a very nice early Christmas present, and bringing my year total up to 202. And I've now got some home work to do as I get to read up on the ID features of Olive-backed Pipit!